﻿53 
  

  

  The 
  Sponge 
  Fishery. 
  — 
  The 
  American 
  Sponge 
  fishery 
  is 
  

   now 
  a 
  well-established 
  industry 
  of 
  considerable 
  importance, 
  

   and 
  gives 
  employment 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  fishing 
  fleet. 
  Professor 
  

   Alpheus 
  Hyatt, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  recent 
  writers 
  on 
  American 
  

   Sponges, 
  regards 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  commercial 
  forms 
  

   as 
  identical 
  specifically 
  with 
  the 
  Mediterranean, 
  but 
  sepa- 
  

   rates 
  them 
  on 
  subspecific 
  differences. 
  The 
  same 
  subspecies 
  

   belong 
  to 
  both 
  Florida 
  and 
  the 
  Bahama 
  Islands, 
  but 
  fewer 
  

   commercial 
  grades 
  are 
  recognised 
  from 
  the 
  former 
  than 
  

   from 
  the 
  latter 
  region. 
  The 
  finest 
  quality 
  of 
  American 
  

   Sponge 
  is 
  the 
  Sheepswool, 
  which 
  now 
  commands 
  a 
  higher 
  

   price 
  than 
  those 
  from 
  the 
  Bahamas. 
  I 
  quote 
  again 
  from 
  

   Mr. 
  Rathbun 
  : 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  Florida 
  Sponge 
  grounds 
  form 
  three 
  separate 
  elon- 
  

   gate 
  stretches, 
  along 
  the 
  southern 
  and 
  western 
  coasts 
  of 
  

   the 
  state. 
  The 
  first 
  includes 
  nearly 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  Florida 
  Keys 
  ; 
  

   the 
  second 
  extends 
  from 
  Anclote 
  Keys 
  to 
  Cedar 
  Keys 
  ; 
  

   and 
  the 
  third 
  from 
  just 
  north 
  of 
  Cedar 
  Keys 
  to 
  Saint 
  

   Mark's, 
  in 
  Apalachee 
  Bay. 
  The 
  linear 
  extent 
  of 
  these 
  

   grounds 
  is 
  about 
  120 
  miles, 
  and 
  their 
  breadth 
  varies 
  from 
  

   a 
  few 
  miles 
  to 
  15 
  or 
  20 
  miles. 
  The 
  total 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  

   Sponge 
  grounds 
  worked 
  in 
  1880 
  was 
  reckoned 
  at 
  about 
  

   3,000 
  square 
  geographical 
  miles, 
  but 
  this 
  does 
  not 
  by 
  any 
  

   means 
  cover 
  the 
  possibilities 
  of 
  the 
  coast, 
  as 
  many 
  addi- 
  

   tional 
  sponging 
  areas 
  have 
  been 
  discovered 
  since 
  then. 
  

   Key 
  West 
  is 
  the 
  principal 
  headquarters 
  for 
  the 
  Sponge 
  

   fleet. 
  The 
  Florida 
  Sponge 
  fishery 
  differs 
  from 
  the 
  Medi- 
  

   terranean 
  in 
  that 
  no 
  divers 
  are 
  employed. 
  The 
  Sponge 
  

   fleet 
  consists 
  of 
  over 
  100 
  vessels, 
  ranging 
  in 
  size 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  

   50 
  tons 
  burden. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  cruises 
  last 
  from 
  four 
  to 
  eight 
  weeks, 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   which 
  time 
  the 
  vessels 
  return 
  to 
  Key 
  West, 
  a 
  few 
  only 
  

   going 
  to 
  Apalachicola. 
  The 
  process 
  of 
  bleaching 
  or 
  liming 
  

  

  